Enculturation facts for kids
Enculturation is how people learn about their own culture. It's the process where you pick up the rules, values, and ways of thinking that are important in your society. This learning happens from your parents, other adults, and your friends.
When enculturation works well, you learn the language, values, and traditions of your culture. Everyone goes through this as they grow up. It helps you fit in and become a good member of your community. Culture affects everything we do, even if we don't realize it. Enculturation is a deep process that connects people. Even when a culture changes, its main beliefs, values, and ways of raising children often stay the same. This process also helps people be more understanding of each other.
Enculturation is often talked about in anthropology, which is the study of human societies and cultures. It's similar to socialization, a term used in sociology, which is the study of how people interact in groups. Both ideas describe how individuals adapt to social groups. They do this by learning the ideas, beliefs, and practices around them. Sometimes, socialization means deliberately teaching someone how to behave.
Learning and absorbing culture doesn't always have to be direct or conscious. Cultural transmission can happen in many ways. The most common ways are by watching others, being taught, or getting instructions. You can also learn your culture from media, like TV shows or movies. Even social media can help spread culture. For example, hip-hop culture started in America but spread all over the world.
How We Learn Our Culture
Enculturation can happen in different ways. It's how people learn the customs and beliefs of their society.
Direct Teaching
Direct teaching means your family, teachers, or other people clearly show you certain beliefs or behaviors. For example, parents might teach their children table manners. They also teach them how to be polite in social situations. Strict family and community teaching often uses rewards or corrections to shape behavior. This can lead a person to follow their religious beliefs and customs closely. Schools also teach national values. This includes honoring a country's flag or national anthem.
Learning by Doing
Participatory learning happens when you actively join in with your environment and culture. By taking part in activities, you learn the social rules for your area. You might also adopt related values. For example, if your school organizes a park cleanup, you learn to respect nature. You also learn about protecting the environment. Religious traditions often use participatory learning. Children who sing hymns during Christmas learn the values of the holiday.
Learning by Watching
Observational learning is when you gain knowledge by watching and copying others. If you believe that copying someone will lead to good results, you can learn without being directly taught. For example, a child with loving parents might learn to be caring in their own future relationships.
See also
In Spanish: Endoculturación para niños
- Civil society
- Dual inheritance theory
- Education
- Educational anthropology
- Ethnocentrism
- Indoctrination
- Intercultural competence
- Mores
- Norm (philosophy)
- Norm (sociology)
- Peer pressure
- Transculturation
